Set on a drilling base at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Underwater
follows a crew of workers when something goes terribly wrong. Norah (Kristen
Stewart; Personal Shopper) is a mechanical engineer that narrowly escapes
a collapsing wing of the base and informs the others of the catastrophic damage.
It appears that an earthquake has destroyed most of their base and its crew. As
Norah and the others attempt to escape, they encounter anomalies that suggest
they may not be alone on the ocean floor. The film is the first studio feature
of William Eubank (Love), an indie sci-fi director, and he carries much
of his style into the project.
Eubank is adept at creating tension. It’s immediately obvious
that several of the crew are going to die, the questions are who, how, and when
and Eubank keeps this guessing game interesting. Some deaths are predictable
when characters venture away from the group, but other deaths can be swift and unexpected.
There are plenty of jump scares, but few that feel cheap. There are moments of
levity used to break the tension with T.J. Miller (Cloverfield) making
sarcastic jokes in precarious situations, but these aren’t as annoying as they
initially appear. Miller serves as an audience surrogate, pointing out the
insurmountable danger they face that films often ignore. His jokes are usually
only worth a chuckle, but they’re not to the film’s detriment.
The film’s influences are obvious.
The film boasts impressive visual effects. The sets have the
unadorned look of an oil rig rather than a high-tech sterile environment and it
adds to the realism, particularly when portions of the base collapse. Eubank
uses the same contrasting speed-up / slow-down effect from his earlier films during
explosive scenes to capture the power of the blasts and it provides some needed
style. There are also interesting designs like the pressurized suits the crew
wears to traverse the ocean. The suits could easily be mistaken for mech suits
with their intricate, almost modular appearance. The designs of the sea
creatures are mostly standard, but their quick movements and glowing eyes are
frightening enough. The best design is
revealed towards the end when the film shows it still has a secret up its
sleeve and is able to create a unexpected, but truly awe-inducing moment.
While the direction may be strong, it’s impossible to ignore the script’s unoriginality. The film is a cross between Alien, The Abyss, and The Descent with little original plot to add. It has the same blue-collar cast as Alien, the setting of The Abyss, and the creatures and claustrophobia of The Descent. The main crew has little development and the film seems more interested in its set pieces than its characters. Surprisingly, this was a beneficial choice. The lack of character focus allows the film’s strongest features, it’s visuals and direction, to shine. In the few moments when relationships and backstories are emphasized, the cast struggles with the lackluster script and do the film a disservice. It’s story is completely familiar but the film’s tense direction and visual flair are enough to make it an enjoyable ride.
With 2019 coming to a close, here are my most anticipated films of the upcoming year. Note that titles from last year’s list that were delayed to 2020 have been excluded here (like I’m Thinking of Ending Things which would otherwise be near the top).
12. Underwater (1/10/2020)
William Eubank is one of the most promising young sci-fi
directors working today. He brings big ideas and grounded emotions with
incredible special effects and visual flair. His two films to date (The
Signal and Love) were not complete successes but they showed a
filmmaker with potential to do something special if given the right canvas. Underwater
is his first studio film and while the January release date and multiple delays
are worrying, I’m still hopeful for a thriller with a unique vision.
11. Another Round (TBD 2020)
Rejoining many of his team from The Hunt, Thomas
Vinterberg has another impressive project in the works. Starring Mads Mikkelson
and co-written by Tobias Lindholm, the film follows a group of high school teachers
that experiment with being intoxicated throughout the day after learning of a
theory that claims it is beneficial. The precarious plot and the combination of
Vinterberg, Mikkelson, and Lindholm mean we can expect plenty of taut drama.
10. Color Out of Space (1/24/2020)
The producers of Mandy have re-teamed with Nicolas Cage for an adaptation of a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. The premise is strange, but that’s to be expected given the pedigree. Festival reviews have been positive and it looks like another great opportunity to see the great actor at his craziest and at his Cage-iest. The film is also the return of director Richard Stanley (The Island of Dr. Moreau) and is a welcome entry in the growing number of fun B-movies made with A-grade talent.
9. Next Goal Wins (TBD 2020)
Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) is directing a live-action remake of the acclaimed documentary about the football team of American Samoa going from being a terrible team to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. The sports underdog story should allow Waititi plenty of situations to craft his signature brand of goofy humor and the casting of Michael Fassbender (Shame) in the lead role is an interesting twist. Fassbender is an incredibly talented actor, but he hasn’t starred in a comedy before. His inclusion is an exciting wildcard in what I hope will be a sports comedy to rival the likes of Shaolin Soccer.
8. Tenet (7/17/2020)
Using in theaters only trailers and previews, the hype machine for Tenet has already begun and with good reason. Christopher Nolan is one of few filmmakers that is as critically acclaimed as he is commercially successful granting him the chance to make original ideas with budgets usually reserved for established franchises. Nolan has called Tenet his most ambitious film yet and it appears to involve time travel elements that will create Nolan’s favorite puzzle-like structure for the narrative and will likely have film fans discussing what happened and in what order for months after release.
7. Mank (TBD 2020)
David Fincher (The Social Network) hasn’t directed a film in half a decade so his next feature is long overdue. Based on a screenplay by Fincher’s late father, the film follows screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he writes the script for Citizen Kane. Fincher has shown his mastery of period details in Zodiac and Mindhunter and with Gary Oldman in the lead role, this will be much more than the typical biopic about a Hollywood insider.
6. The Lodge (2/7/2020)
The only film on this list I have already seen, The Lodge
is a psychological thriller from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (Goodnight
Mommy). Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) plays a future stepmom with
a traumatic past left alone at a remote cabin with her two future stepchildren.
What follows is a tense and troubling series of inexplicable events that cast
doubt over all the characters. Franz and Fiala are unrelenting in their commitment
to unnerving horror and the end product is satisfyingly ruthless.
5. A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (TBD 2020)
Aardman Animations (Chicken Run) is still the best stop-motion animation studio working today. They are masters of slapstick humor and use expressive puppets and fluid movements to bring their stories to life. The original Shaun the Sheep Movie was an absolute delight that showed how much humor can be mined from characters that don’t even speak. Farmageddon released in the UK recently and the feedback has been just as positive as for the original.
4. Dune (12/18/2020)
His last film (Blade Runner 2049) may have flopped at the box office, but Denis Villeneuve demonstrated that he was more than capable of bringing a complex science-fiction world to life. Villeneuve is being given something the previous adaptations have not had, at least not concurrently. He has a blockbuster movie budget and his film will only cover the first half of the book, reducing the risk that the film will suffer from a condensed plot. A sequel based on the remaining half of the novel as well as a television series spinoff, also directed by Villeneuve, have already been announced placing significant confidence in this new adaptation of a beloved novel.
3. Annette (TBD 2020)
Leos Carax is definitely an oddball. His last film (Holy
Motors) featured everything from motion capture suits to chimpanzees to
talking cars, but somehow worked. He has the manic energy and absurd plots to
make films that seem like the work of a mad genius. His newest film is his English-language
debut and sadly the first to not include the great Denis Lavant as the lead,
but it does have Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard to compensate. The story is
supposedly a musical about a girl with a special gift. There is no telling what
any of this could mean, but the unpredictability is the most exciting aspect of
any Carax project.
2. Memoria (TBD 2020)
Another English-language debut, Memoria is the newest
film from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can
Recall His Past Lives). Starring Tilda Swinton and set in a mountain
village in Columbia, the beauty of the area will provide ample opportunity for
his contemplative style and his focus on nature.
1. About Endlessness (TBD 2020)
After finishing his trilogy “about being a human being”, Roy
Andersson (You, the Living) returned to the Venice Film Festival this
year with About Endlessness. Like his previous work, the film uses the
same stark artifice for ironic humor, but initial reviews have noted a more
emotional tone. Andersson is one of the most distinct filmmakers alive and it is
entirely fitting that he release a 70 minute film titled About Endlessness.
I can’t wait.
